Wednesday, Jul. 01, 2009

Anne Boleyn

It's the rare woman who is so desirable that she ends up cleaving a church. But Boleyn's insistence that she would be a mere mistress to Henry VIII caused a rift that began to split the Anglicans from the Catholics. Though Henry courted Boleyn for years, she refused his advances, requiring that he annul his marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon first. Pope Clement VII delayed granting the annulment, leading Henry to create the Anglican Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury finally nixed Henry's first marriage, clearing the way for Boleyn to become Queen at last.

Post-affair: Ironically, and unfairly, Boleyn would end up executed after being accused of having affairs with a number of men, including her brother. Historians generally agree that the charges were shams, sparked by rivalries among the court and Boleyn's inability to give Henry a male heir. She was beheaded at the Tower of London in 1536.

See 10 things you didn't know about Henry VIII.